It's October 2017 - What fantasy books are you reading?

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Sir Readalot

I just finished The Circle by Dave Eggers. In three words: this book sucks. Its a dystopian book where a Facebook-like company called The Circle is slowly taking over the lives of the inhabitants of earth. The goal of the company is to "complete the circle", in other words; for all knowledge about everything ever to be out in the open, in a fully transparent world. We follow the lead character of Mae Holland. She is a young woman from Fresno who lands a prestigious job at the Circle HQ via a friend. We see her slowly moving up through the company ranks. And that's about all there is to it. There are some uninteresting love affairs, but we mostly follow Mae as she goes through her day to day work.

The ever increasing hold of the Circle on daily life is the only interesting aspect about this book. We see politicians going"full transparent" (cameras follow their every move), we see sensor installed in children so we can track location so that they can never be kidnapped again, we see software that can dig through records to fully reconstruct someone's heritage etc. This stuff is pretty cool to see and the parallels with already existing tech doesn't go unnoticed.

This can't save the book though. I think the target audience is pubescent girls, as the tone-of -voice is similar to that in The Hunger Games, Divergent, Twilight etc (don't ask me how I know... )

Enjoy!!!
I started TCG now. Once finished I still need to read the last two in Esslemont's series (Blood and Bone / Assail)
After those I'll take a break from Malazan until the other series (Kharkanas and Path to Ascendancy) are finished

Journeyed there and back again

The Shadow Throne. Book 2 of the Shadow Campaigns. Completed book one only a week ago and couldn't remember anything except it was fairly good and the end was exciting. Looking at my notes with the characters and now I remember a bit. Not much.

Journeyed there and back again

I just finished The Circle by Dave Eggers. In three words: this book sucks. Its a dystopian book where a Facebook-like company called The Circle is slowly taking over the lives of the inhabitants of earth. The goal of the company is to "complete the circle", in other words; for all knowledge about everything ever to be out in the open, in a fully transparent world. We follow the lead character of Mae Holland. She is a young woman from Fresno who lands a prestigious job at the Circle HQ via a friend. We see her slowly moving up through the company ranks. And that's about all there is to it. There are some uninteresting love affairs, but we mostly follow Mae as she goes through her day to day work.

The ever increasing hold of the Circle on daily life is the only interesting aspect about this book. We see politicians going"full transparent" (cameras follow their every move), we see sensor installed in children so we can track location so that they can never be kidnapped again, we see software that can dig through records to fully reconstruct someone's heritage etc. This stuff is pretty cool to see and the parallels with already existing tech doesn't go unnoticed.

This can't save the book though. I think the target audience is pubescent girls, as the tone-of -voice is similar to that in The Hunger Games, Divergent, Twilight etc (don't ask me how I know... )

Journeyed there and back again

The company I work for was asked to invest in this movie, but after reading the script we walked away despite its impressive pedigree (at the time the girl from Ex Machina/ Tomb Raider was attached instead of Emma Watson). Because you can polish it all you want, but a turd's still a turd.

Journeyed there and back again

I finished Eye of the World yesterday! finally.. It was a great first book, only giving it 4 stars though. It was a little rushed at the end but otherwise all good. Obviously there's almost too much information for 1 book but yea I have 13 more to read so I've a feeling everything will become clearer over time If there's 1 gripe I have it's that

There's no mystery as to what the series will be about. From page 1 it's set that the Dark One is real and he will be the big bad. Could have definitely benefited more by teasing that for a few books or something. My opinion of course.

Aside from that it was a fantastic start! I won't continue with The Great Hunt just yet, it will probably have to be after the big releases I'm waiting for these next 3 months - La Belle Sauvage/Oathbringer/Persepolis Rising.

Hired Nicomo Cosca, famed soldier of fortune

I finished Eye of the World yesterday! finally.. It was a great first book, only giving it 4 stars though. It was a little rushed at the end but otherwise all good. Obviously there's almost too much information for 1 book but yea I have 13 more to read so I've a feeling everything will become clearer over time If there's 1 gripe I have it's that

There's no mystery as to what the series will be about. From page 1 it's set that the Dark One is real and he will be the big bad. Could have definitely benefited more by teasing that for a few books or something. My opinion of course.

Aside from that it was a fantastic start! I won't continue with The Great Hunt just yet, it will probably have to be after the big releases I'm waiting for these next 3 months - La Belle Sauvage/Oathbringer/Persepolis Rising.

Glad that you liked it. I lovedd it too when I read it like 13 or so years ago when Borders was around. I remember spending like a year on it. I'm not a fan of it anymore, and I have no desire to read any more of the series, but like with any series, happy for anyone that enjoys whatever they enjoy.

Got in a fistfight with Dresden

I finished Deadhouse Gates last night and up until then I would have put it just behind GotM but the last few chapters blew me away. Unless it goes horribly wrong from here I am certain that this is going to be my favourite fantasy series ever. However, I am going to give my brain a break from Malazan and read something else before resuming the journey. I have picked War of the Flowers by Tad Williams for two reasons, firstly it's a standalone book and secondly I bought it years ago and it's sitting in my bookshelf where I can see it every day looking sad,lonely and unread.

Super Moderator

I finished Deadhouse Gates last night and up until then I would have put it just behind GotM but the last few chapters blew me away. Unless it goes horribly wrong from here I am certain that this is going to be my favourite fantasy series ever. However, I am going to give my brain a break from Malazan and read something else before resuming the journey. I have picked War of the Flowers by Tad Williams for two reasons, firstly it's a standalone book and secondly I bought it years ago and it's sitting in my bookshelf where I can see it every day looking sad,lonely and unread.

Hired Nicomo Cosca, famed soldier of fortune

I finished Deadhouse Gates last night and up until then I would have put it just behind GotM but the last few chapters blew me away. Unless it goes horribly wrong from here I am certain that this is going to be my favourite fantasy series ever. However, I am going to give my brain a break from Malazan and read something else before resuming the journey. I have picked War of the Flowers by Tad Williams for two reasons, firstly it's a standalone book and secondly I bought it years ago and it's sitting in my bookshelf where I can see it every day looking sad,lonely and unread.

Hired Nicomo Cosca, famed soldier of fortune

I have gone through The Chronicles of Amber, The Chaos Walking and The Wayward Children series as of late.

Opinions as follow: Amber - short, but quite sweet, although a little bit too flashy with its world-building, which, when all is said and done, could at times be very intrusive. Or at least it was for me. Over-all 8.9/10 for the whole series.

Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness - it's too young-adulty somehow, for the praise it usually gets. I've found it above average, entertaining at time, but utterly frustrating in regards of world-building and conflict developments/resolutions. It never gives enough information to the reader in order for to a reasonably-possible prediction to take form in his mind, the story is always going in bits and spurts and with little logic whatsoever.

The main antagonist is mad through and through. And as this series shows - it's hard for the author to pull such thing off in a satisfactory manner. I've felt that Patrick Ness totally failed in that regard. The characterisation was great at times, but quite awful in at least the same number of situations.

We don't get a solid ending, more of a open one, most of the questions and misteries are left to hang open, and even more of those are presented by the final chapter. Through and through a series done in a very poor taste toward any potential reader who isn't a teenager anymore, or at least - isn't inexperienced in the fantasy genre as a whole.

All the characters are more or less stagnant in their personal growth/change. From start to end. I've either been set for disappointment from the glowing reviews everywhere, or the trilogy is really a cheap tricks drag. 6.5/10 because there were some enjoyable things in it, but seriously - it's one big chaos.

The Wayward Children series of short novels - Every Heart A Doorway and it's prequel are good books as it is, but nothing really groundbreaking. The prose is top notch, I'd give it that. The world-building is fine too. It feels like a nice re-telling of all our childhood tropes from fairytales, which was nice. It have also won some awards as I gather it. But upon reading it, there was this strong suspicion in me that the author was partially favored, because of her "one of each" approach. You know how they put one black guy, one smart asian and one gay in every movie nowadays, for having the full deck effect when their characters have absolutely no place in the story from a world-building viewpoint? It was the same here. From asexual, to homosexual, to boys pretending to be girls, to child abuse - we have it all. I am not saying that it was totally out of place in the story, but come on - what are the chances of every character being from one of those categories if you pick up 5 strangers in the street?

To be honest it's something I can forgive, but not fail to mention, since I hate it when politics, agendas or preaching are specifically put in my fictional literature. For others it may be a pro, instead of a con, but I am a neutral reader and this breaks the story up quite a bit for me.

Still, other than that - it's the closest storytelling voice to that of Patrick Rothfuss, at least in the things I've encountered so far, so I'd probably recommend it to anyone who is Kingskiller prose fanboy/fangirl. I'd give it 8.4/10 for the over-all feel from the story. I've managed to guess some of the plot twists, but others were well-hidden.

Also - I'd actually make an exception of my rule against preaching and continue to say that this series, the prequel most of all, have a very-well realized respectful bashing on parents who put too much expectations on their children, so I guess it could/would make such people think twice about it and that's over-all a positive thing about the books and their message.

On another note, however, at times the same preaching crosses the line toward "all adults are stupid and teenagers know it best/all" trope, so there's that.

Journeyed there and back again

I just finished up Besieged by Kevin Hearne. This was the collection of short stories falling randomly inbetween books of the main series.

Essentially just more of the same from the main books but in short bursts (obviously) so if you need an Iron Druid fix you can get it here. I can't remember specifically if he has done it in the books of the main series but there were 2 or 3 times where some political opinions were loudly expressed through the characters which I always find a little off putting but other than that it was business as usual. One drawback if you are buyer is that this is only 235 pages which doesn't really seem worth $18 in my opinion but whatever.

Journeyed there and back again

With regards to standalone, the Lions of Al Rassan by GGK is a very good fantasy book. The Hero and the Crown is a short fantasy tale by Robin McKinley that was excellent for the first 2/3 and finished rushed and disappointed to me. The tale of Dunk by George Martin is a good standalone. I loved Uprooted by Naoimi Novik. Vicious is a modern book and more x-men like but I loved that book.

Right now I’m reading the Red Knight and it’s a good start. Enjoyable cast of characters.

Journeyed there and back again

With regards to standalone, the Lions of Al Rassan by GGK is a very good fantasy book. The Hero and the Crown is a short fantasy tale by Robin McKinley that was excellent for the first 2/3 and finished rushed and disappointed to me. The tale of Dunk by George Martin is a good standalone. I loved Uprooted by Naoimi Novik. Vicious is a modern book and more x-men like but I loved that book.

Right now I’m reading the Red Knight and it’s a good start. Enjoyable cast of characters.

Hired Nicomo Cosca, famed soldier of fortune

I have gone through The Chronicles of Amber, The Chaos Walking and The Wayward Children series as of late.

Opinions as follow: Amber - short, but quite sweet, although a little bit too flashy with its world-building, which, when all is said and done, could at times be very intrusive. Or at least it was for me. Over-all 8.9/10 for the whole series.

I have a cut off date of 1980, as in I won't read anything older than from 1980. and I decided to read the preview of The Chronicles of Amber on goodreads. I found the main character quite compelling, and I really liked the dialogue, and I realy am curious what's gonna be next.

The Chronicles of Amber will probably be next to next book I read. Thanks!

Journeyed there and back again

Lol. My coworker had the book (complete edition) and I read it assuming it was intended to be one book. Didn’t realize it was actually three novels out together. Even then the whole compilation was around 350 pages.
I consider the excellent Wool sci-fi omnibus more of a complete book as well.